Butler hires former Bulldogs star guard Ronald Nored as coach

Butler hired former Bulldogs captain Ronald Nored as its men’s basketball coach, the program announced Wednesday. He replaces Thad Matta, who retired from coaching last week.

Nored was a part of Butler’s glory days under Brad Stevens as a starting guard on the teams that made back-to-back national championship games in 2009-10 and 2010-11. His 497 career assists broke the school record, and his 207 career steals were tied for the most in program history.

After a stint as a high school coach in the Indianapolis suburb of Brownsburg, Nored rejoined Stevens in the Boston Celtics’ organization. He coached in the NBA’s G League and then became an assistant in Boston. His only previous college coaching experience was a year at Northern Kentucky. Nored has been an NBA assistant since 2018 for the Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks.

“The term ‘dream job’ doesn’t do justice to how I feel about the opportunity to lead the Butler program,” Nored said in a statement from the school. “Butler is an incredibly special place. As a player, I poured blood, sweat and tears into this program. No one appreciates both the responsibility and the potential that comes with this position more than me.”

Our Bulldog. Our Coach. pic.twitter.com/076z4pXGdI

— Butler Basketball (@ButlerMBB) March 25, 2026

The program he inherits is different than the one he left. Butler initially remained solid after jumping from the mid-major ranks to the Big East but has since slipped. The Bulldogs haven’t made the Sweet 16 since 2017 and have missed eight consecutive NCAA Tournaments (although they were in good shape before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic). They’re 87-103 over the last six campaigns.

“In a rapidly evolving college basketball landscape, our priority was identifying the absolute best leader to spearhead the future of Butler Basketball. Ronald Nored is that leader,” athletic director Grant Leiendecker said in a statement.